Description
The ‘Introduction to diagnostic test accuracy studies’ workshop is an intensive half-day course designed for clinicians, researchers, Healthcare professionals and students who want to understand and critically appraise diagnostic accuracy studies.
Delivered through presentations and interactive examples, the workshop will take participants through different types of diagnostic study designs, measures of diagnostic accuracy and the process of critical appraisal, including an extensive risk of bias assessment.
The course runs from 1pm to 4.30pm (times may change).
Programme
The workshop will cover the following areas:
An introduction to diagnostic accuracy studies
Characteristics of different diagnostic study designs
A summary of how diagnostic studies differ from prognostic risk factor and prognostic risk tool studies
Measures of diagnostic accuracy, such as sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and receiver operating characteristic (ROC)/area under the curve (AUC)
Assessment of the risk of bias of published diagnostic accuracy studies
An introduction to test-and-treat trials (‘diagnostic RCTs’)
Interactive examples will help participants strengthen new skills and put them into practice.
What you will learn
By the end of this course participants will be able to:
understand the principles of diagnostic test accuracy studies
identify the strengths and weaknesses of different diagnostic accuracy study designs
appraise study outcomes and judge the quality of study methodology
be familiar with measures of diagnostic accuracy, such as sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and receiver operating characteristic (ROC)/area under the curve (AUC)
understand the difference between diagnostic test accuracy studies, test-and-treat studies, and prognostic studies
Who should apply?
The course is aimed at:
all levels and grades of doctor
medical students
nurses and midwives
pharmacists
allied Healthcare professionals
researchers
methodologists
people involved in quality improvement (for example trust clinical audit teams)
people involved in making healthcare decisions (for example Clinical Commissioning Groups / Commissioning Support Units).
This workshop is suitable for those who are new to diagnostic accuracy studies, or require a refresher session. Some knowledge of general basic research methods is required. No prior knowledge of diagnostic research methods is required.
Related courses
We also offer intensive 1-day courses on critical appraisal of clinical studies, and systematic reviewing and meta-analysis.
Cancellations
Cancellation requests must be sent to NGC-courses@rcplondonac.uk and will be subject to a 25% charge. No refunds will be made for cancellations notified within 21 days of the event. The NGC reserves the right to cancel the event, in which case all registration fees will be refunded.
Other information
NGC Home page
Published guidelines
Training courses